Cool, Not Cool?

Shaking Off the summer Heat

🎵 "I don't sweat, I shimmer!" sings Meghan Trainor in her new song, Shimmer, which we have been dancing to in class the past few months.

I love the song, but I have to say, sorry Meghan, I definitely DO sweat!

So much of the world has been dealing with super hot temperatures this summer. With this month's theme of Shake and Shine, I want to focus on how to shake off that oppressive heat that can weigh us down, and how to keep yourself glowing rather than wilting.

I remember when I first moved to Taipei being absolutely shocked at the heat. Straight out of university at the beginning of my twenties, I wondered how I could possibly keep my composure and look "cool" when all I felt was that I was turning into a puddle of sweat. I couldn't imagine using an umbrella or a hat to hide from the sun. After all, I admit I survived my cold winters in Montreal by occasionally hitting the tanning salons, and hiding from the sun just didn't seem cool at all.

Fast forward to today, and I definitely have a different mentality. Twenty years of living in Asia and the growing global education around skincare and preventing sunburns has finally sunk in! Just yesterday, I found myself buying my second large UV protection sun visor. I had to laugh thinking how this is exactly the kind of look I would have thought of as painfully uncool in my youth.

Surviving the heat these days is about more than just being sun-smart for me. It is about redefining what "cool" means, and prioritizing feeling good over looking a certain way. I also keep in mind some great tips for keeping cool from sources like the American Heart Association:

• Hydration Stations: I invested in a few new water bottles (if you know me, I often somehow lose them running class to class, so I couldn't buy just one haha!) and have noted all the different locations and dance studios where I can fill up during the day.

  
  
  
  

• Water-Rich Snacks: Skipping the exciting pre-made snacks out and about that are packed with sugar and salt makes me feel less thirsty and sluggish. Eating foods high in water content like cucumbers and watermelon is high on my list. Pre-cutting watermelon and keeping it cool in the fridge is one of the most satisfying things I do all season. Gasp! Sometimes it hits the spot even more than ice cream or a Philadelphia water ice would.

  
  
  
  

• Embracing the Indoors: Avoiding the midday heat and staying indoors until later in the day has been a big shift. Before, I thought I should be out and about doing errands or meeting up with friends at that time. Now, I am much happier drawing the curtains in the apartment during the hottest part of the day.

It strikes me as a little funny that all these things I thought were "uncool" before are actually what keep me way cooler so I can survive the summer!

Sweating is inevitable, and not just the glamorous shimmery kind. This is especially true if you are coming to class or in the line of work I do. But rather than hiding away all summer or being unsafe because I refuse to adapt, I have found my own ways of dealing with the heat.

What ways do you keep yourself cool and safe during the summer? What "uncool" things actually keep you the coolest?

Come get hot and sweaty and dance to cool tunes this week in class! Or sign up to take an online demand class and dance from the comfort of your home!

Keep moving!

xx,

Katie